Contacts

Panhandle Promise Project Inc.

P.O. Box 8583

Amarillo, Texas 79114

Tel (806) 414-2864

Executive Director

Jim Chen, CPA

Jim is the sole proprietor of Zen Financial Solutions. He uses his accounting and tax knowledge to help his clients with investments, insurance, and retirement planning. He loves his profession because he feels that it is another way for him to help people.

Jim graduated from the University of Texas in Austin with a Master’s in Professional Accounting. He decided not to go into public accounting and found a position with a small hedge fund in Dallas that grew from $750 million in assets to over $12.5 billion in his 11 years with the firm. He even worked in New York City for a couple of years. He has also been the CFO of a local broker/dealer specializing in church bonds.

Jim is passionate about the people, especially those that require assistance. He is very involved with the community through the advisory board of the Salvation Army of Amarillo and being an active member of Southwest AMBUCS. He recently decided to join another board and continues to do one-off volunteering projects when he has free time.

Jim has lived in Los Angeles, Austin, Dallas, and Princeton, NJ in his lifetime. He has come to enjoy the community of Amarillo. Jim keeps a busy schedule, but whenever he has free time, he is either exercising or enjoying time with friends and family. He has two daughters ages 14 and 12.

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Board President

Kimberli S. Phillips, LMSW

Kimberli is a social worker who has worked in the Amarillo community since 2002. She received her Bachelor of Science in Social Work degree from West Texas A&M University and her Master of Science in Social Work degree from the University of Texas in Arlington. She is pursuing her doctorate and is scheduled to graduate with her PhD in Counseling and Human Behavior in 2018.

Kimberli began her social work career in medical social work. She worked at Northwest Texas Healthcare Systems from 2001-2009 and at Odyssey Hospice from 2010-2011. She then went into academia as an instructor of social work at West Texas A&M University from 2011-2017. She served on the board of the Panhandle Promise Project and now has transitioned into the executive director position.

Kimberli is married to John and they have 2 children. She enjoys spending time outside gardening and playing with her 2 dogs, Bella and Amber. She also enjoys crocheting, watching movies, camping, reading, traveling, and using her skills and talents to help others.

Kimberli loves working with students of all ages, from elementary to college level. She works to ensure that all students have the resources and the opportunities to succeed in their lives and achieve their full potential. Kimberli feels that serving as executive director of a non-profit is where God has led her in her life at this time. She says that it is fulfilling to know that children’s lives are being positively impacted and changed by the work that the Panhandle Promise Project does. Her goal in life is to live like Jesus did, serving others and making a difference in the community.

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Board Vice President

Todd Baxley

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Board Treasurer

Andrea Morehead

Andrea is highly experienced in Accounting and Treasury Functions as well as Management. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Management from Wayland University.

Andrea worked for AIG for 19 years and in the Trust department for Herring Bank and is now a Staff Accountant at Trinity Fellowship Church.

Andrea is married to Micheal Morehead and together they have 4 children and two grandsons that are absolutely cherished by “mimi”. Andrea was very active with her daughters while they were growing up by leading Girl Scouts and coaching her daughters in Fast pitch, Softball, and Volleyball.

Both Andrea and Micheal served on the board for Amarillo High Softball and Amarillo High Band and traveled to every function with them for over 5 years. Andrea loves to travel and is a rock collector. Andrea loves kids and has mentored many over the years while coaching them and looks forward to do whatever it is necessary to help this program to grow as well as help Panhandle Promise meet their mission by helping these amazing children succeed.

Andrea and Micheal are members of The Church at Bushland and will begin a new transition to Trinity Fellowship in the near future to see what God has planned for them and serve where they are called.

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Board Secretary

Mary Emeny

Mary Emeny grew up in Cleveland, Ohio.

BA from Connecticut College in 1964

MPIA, U.of Pittsburgh, 1969

EdD, Insight University, 2014

The sixties was the decade of travel: 2 years in Tanzania, 1964-66, close to a year in Viet Nam (1967/68) both through the American Friends Service Committee, 9 months in Paris (1969/70) with Thich Nhat Hanh’s fledgling group there. Peace work was in between and took me to San Antonio, Tx. in 1971 where I soon met my future husband, Hunter Ingalls. 1976 became a founding board member of Habitat for Humanity, which I served until 1985.

In 1978 we moved to a family ranch outside Amarillo and have lived here ever since. We have raised three children here; one is here learning to manage the ranch, one is in Brooklyn, NY, interactive. My eldest is a pediatrician living with her family in Hamden, Ct. I was widowed in 2008. Most of my work has been local and initiatory: founder of Amarillo Habitat for Humanity, Wildcat Bluff Nature Center, Mariposa Village Community Land Trust. I have also been involved with numerous other projects in the area, especially around the environment and education.

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Board Member

Andy Cash

Andy was raised in Amarillo and loves living in the Texas Panhandle. He received his B.B.A from West Texas A&M University with a minor in Economics. Andy is a member of Hillside Christian Church.

Andy is a small business owner operating a Real Estate and an Electrical Services company. He has previously spent 11 years in the banking industry before leaving to work for himself.

Andy is married to Helen and they have two boys. He enjoys spending time outdoors hunting, fishing and playing on the water. He also enjoys all sports, playing golf, traveling and spending time with family.

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Board Member

Ed Drain

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Board Member

Margaret Jenkins

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Board Member

Seth Lujan, J.D., MBA

Seth is a practicing attorney in the Texas Panhandle. He received his undergraduate degree from West Texas A&M University, where he earned a B.B.A. in Economics and served as student body president.

After earning his undergraduate degree, Seth entered the United State Army to serve as a commissioned officer. As a second lieutenant, he deployed in 2009 in support Operation Iraqi Freedom and served as a mortar platoon leader/fire support officer. He completed his military career in the reserves as a captain on staff in the ROTC department while pursuing an MBA and JD at Texas Tech University. Seth began his legal career as a general practitioner at Mitchell & Jones, in Borger, Texas.

Although Seth has a general law practice, most of his practice consists of criminal defense work. In his work, Seth has witnessed the negative effects children with incarcerated parents face every day. For this reason, Seth joined the Panhandle Promise Project to utilize his talents and skills to develop and implement long-term solutions to a significant problem in our country.

Seth is married to his wife, Marlie, and they have one child. In his spare time, Seth enjoys spending time with friends and family, watching football and baseball, cooking his Grandma Rose’s cookbook, brewing home beer, and reading anything and everything. Seth and his family attend St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Borger, Texas.

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Board Member

John Phillips

John is currently a performance/quality improvement specialist and statistical analyst, with a history of technical support that has worked in the Amarillo medical community since 2002. He received his Bachelor of Business Administration from West Texas A&M University and will be receiving his Masters of Business Administration from West Texas A&M University in fall of 2017.

John started his technical career at Northwest Texas Healthcare Systems from 2002 to 2013 and later moved up to a corporate role with Universal Health Services, Inc. He initially started assisting the Panhandle Promise Project with technical and graphic support via Kimberli, who was initially on the board, before he was offered an official position on the board.

John is married to his high school sweetheart, Kimberli, and they have two gifted children. He enjoys tinkering with all kinds of mechanical items, digital graphic design and computer gaming, reading, singing, and traveling. Having grown up in north Amarillo, John finds himself in a position to relate with a lot of the struggles that the children initially have in regards to stability and survival. He hopes that he can use his own personal experiences to assist the Project as it moves and grows ahead.

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Board Member

Mariah Strong-Woods

Mariah Strong-Woods has been very involved in numerous political and community organizations. As a proud November, 2014 graduate of the Amarillo 101 Citizens Academy she threw her political hat in the ring and was on the March, 2015 Ballot for City Council. Coming in third place for the Place 3 position she stayed active in the community as a member of the Potter/Randall County Democratic Club and she is the newly elected 2016 Randall County Democratic Chairperson for the cities of Amarillo, Canyon and Umbarger, Texas.

Mariah is an active board member of the Promise Project, she is on the City of Amarillo’s North Heights Neighborhood Advisory Committee, as well as the newly formed organization for citizens concerned for a more equitable Amarillo named One Amarillo; One Voice.

Mariah has been with Ben E. Keith Foods, Amarillo Division since April of 1998. Starting in Operations she was promoted to Marketing Assistant two years later, where she then began to create and design menus for Ben E. Keith customers along with her marketing duties. She became the first, Ben E. Keith Company Foodservice Distributors, Menu Development & Design Specialist. Mariah’s specialty is creating ideas and solutions to improve business profits and increase customer traffic. Her experience goes far beyond a typical logo as she provides a personal touch of working one on one with the Amarillo, Lubbock, Midland/Odessa and Dodge City Kansas territory customers.